Free Hunter Moon (Lupine Moon Series) by Cait Lavender

to hurt me, I tried to thump him with the gun, but it was no longer in my hands.
    He flashed a scary smile. It was all white, straight teeth and angry eyes. My stomach sank. You might have pushed him too far this time.
    “I don’t think so, Shells. ” And then he kissed me. He had my wrists pinned to the porch by my head, and the weight of him made it so I could barely breathe, let alone move. Furious, I bit his lip and was rewarded with his grunt of pain and a taste of salty tang. He growled deep in his chest kissed me harder.
    Something about that animal sound melted all of my resolve, and the heat that I’d ignored for days burst into the forefront. I kissed him back, letting my tongue glide along where I had bit him, but I couldn’t feel the marks my teeth should have left. He groaned and released my wrists, instead spanning my hips with his big hands. Now free, I tugged his shirt loose and slid my hands up the planes of his back, reveling in the heat and silkiness of his skin.
    Cash let another growl loose, but this time something familiar tickled the back of my mind. Breaking away from his kiss, I looked into his eyes and saw a faint green glow. I jerked away from him, breathing hard. He groaned and rolled onto his back, looking disheveled. His hair was mussed and his uniform shirt was untucked and halfway unbuttoned. When had that happened?
    “You are quite possibly the most frustrating woman I have ever had the misfortune of meeting.” I let out a very unladylike squawk in protest. He put his arm over his face, so I leaned over him.
    “ I’m frustrating? I don’t even know what you are , let alone what you want. You can be such a jerk and you. Keep. Kissing. Me! ” I said and punctuated each word with a hard poke to his arm. He grunted and stood. Frowning, he pulled me up and held me against his chest.
    “I’d be really happy if you quit hitting me, woman.”
    He gave me such a look of censure I dissolved into laughter. He tried to keep a straight face, but I saw the corners of his mouth quirk.
    “Okay, I’ll make you a deal,” I said after I quit laughing. “I’ll stop hitting you if you give me one good reason why you didn’t come and check that I was alive last night.” My smile slid off my face and worry flashed across his.
    “Shells, I told you, I couldn’t because of the Sheriff. You’re just going to have to—hey!” I had turned on a dime, picked up my shotgun and marched straight back into my trailer. The door was almost closed when a size twelve boot got in the way.
    “Dammit, Shelby! You have to talk to me, alright?”
    I couldn’t see his face, but when I grabbed three shells out of the federal ammunition box and loaded them into the shotgun, his foot disappeared.

    “Shelby, I know you’re home. Answer your damn phone! I need to talk to you about what happened today and last night with that man. It’s important.” He paused for a few seconds, and then sighed. “Alright, whatever. I get that you’re still mad, but if you don’t call me back by tonight, first thing tomorrow morning I’m breaking down that door and dragging your ass outside, shotgun or no shotgun.”
    “Hey Shells, it’s Jess—” She waited to see if I’d pick up. “ Oookaay… I take it you’re still pissed at me. I’m really sorry. I didn’t know you were out of bed; otherwise I wouldn’t have let him in the room. What can I say, I’m a sucker for a pretty face. Plus, he seemed pretty eager to see you.” I thought about picking up, but I was still upset, so I figured I should let her squirm.
    “Look, Tyler is going to drop me off to pick up the planet and then he’s going to want to talk to you about last night.” We called her Saturn ‘the planet’ because it was slow and it was blue and green, she had an accident and never got the door painted to match. “We’re going to come by around five. I hope you know I love you and I am truly sorry.”
     I had been sitting on my couch watching